Loving, and Lying
by First of the Geeks
Summary: James Potter has just moved to the States, and he is looking for an apartment. He finds it, but it happens to belong to Lily Evans, a woman who doesn't want to have a male roommate. So what does James do? Why, tell her he's gay, of course! Totally AU! R/R
1. The Perfect Place

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DISCLAIMER: I am not J.K Rowling. She would never come up with an idea like this.

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****

Rent.

Loft. Three bedrooms. One half bath, large kitchen. 

$1050 a month.

Roommate. Female. 

If interested, call, 555-0034, or go to:

Vista Housing, floor eleven, apartment 295.

James Potter looked up from the board, a small smile on his face. In the sunlight, his hazel eyes were reflected by the sun, his round glasses helping in the process. His messy black hair was standing up in every direction, giving him a slightly disheveled look. His wide shoulders took up a lot of the small space in the small bus stop, and the woman next to him was looking very annoyed at having to share the small space with him.

But despite the evil looks the woman was giving him, he smiled as he said, "Yes! It's the perfect place! And right on my way!" He finished his exclamation with a very hearty punch in the air, and the woman next to him gave him a very dirty look.

She was a short, dirty blonde with thick framed glasses. She had very pretty teal eyes, yet the way that they were directed towards James was less than friendly. She was slightly chubby, and the oversized green sweater that she was wearing wasn't exactly figure flattering. On her winter jacket, there was a nametag that read, **_Hi! I'm Melissa!_ **

"Dear Lord," She muttered under her breath. She had a deep, melodic voice, and James thought that it was vaguely familiar, yet he didn't know where to place it. "Can it get much worse that _this_?"

James chose to ignore this comment as he looked out the glass doors of the bus stop. There was a slight dusting of snow on the ground, and as a few flakes fell onto it from the sky, James was very thankful that he was inside a little glass cubical instead of outside; it was below zero, and he was only wearing a leather jacket and a turtle neck.

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Remind me again why I decided to move to Illinois, he told himself as he took out a pair of black gloves. His long fingers were freezing, and he berated himself for not putting them on sooner; the woman next to him -Melissa, he supposed- was looking at him with scorn in her eyes, and a little smile played on her full lips. 

James sighed as he slipped the gloves on, his fingers instantly starting to warm up in the leather. He was starting to miss the rain -yet predictable- weather of England, and yet again he wondered why he decided to move to the States; it was a beastly place to live, and Chicago had to be the worst place in the entire country.

"Life sucks," he said aloud, startling himself and the woman. 

She was fumbling around in her purse, and once she heard him say that, she looked up, cigarettes and a lighter in hand. Her eyes were very expressive, and in their depths James saw cynical laughter and amusement. "Oh really?" She asked him as she put a cigarette to her mouth and lit it. "And you're only just finding this out....?"

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And that's another thing about Chicagoans, James added as Melissa looked out the glass window to her right, totally ignoring him after that rude outburst. _They're all extremely rude. _And as if to prove this fact, the woman blew out smoke, half of it going into his eyes.

The rest of the wait for the bus continued on in the way, James and Melissa both staring out into the windows, lost in their own thoughts, Melissa occasionally puffing smoke into the air. After a couple minutes in which James got used to the silence again, he heard the unmistakable sound of a bus stopping. 

The sound brought a little grimace to his face, and next to him, Melissa got up from the cold metal seat and picked up her bag, putting her cigarette out in the process. She practically ran out of the little glass box, not giving James another look.

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Time to move from one cold place to another, James thought as he picked up his messenger bag from off of the ground, dusting the snow that managed to get on it once Melissa had opened up the door. He put it around his shoulders as he walked out the bus stop just like Melissa had not moments before.

****

Vista Housing was a large, tall red brick building with a pointed roof and red shingles. There was a doorman standing outside the door, looking very upset at having to stand outside in the snow. He looked over his shoulder at the foyer of the building, and James, from the inside of the bus, could tell that he wanted to be inside more than anything.

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And it's not like I can blame him, James amended. _My butt's frozen right now, and I'm not even outside. _Suddenly, the bus gave a great lurch, and it took a couple minutes from James to realize that it had come to a stop. Quickly, as not to get stopped on the bus and miss his drop off (he had done this a few weeks before, and it wasn't a pleasant experience), he grabbed his bag for the second time that day and headed out of the bus.

The first thing that James became aware of was the sudden cold as he stepped off of the bus, snow flying into his face. James shook his head, getting the snow out of his hair, and walked towards the building, a determined look on his face. If there was one thing that he had learned from all of the apartment hunting that he had done, was that if you walked purposely towards the doors, that you most likely wouldn't get stopped.

That wasn't what happened this time, though.

"Excuse me, sir," the doorman said, stopping James mid-walk. He shoved his hands into his red, ankle length coat, trying to get some heat against all the cold. "Guests aren't allowed in the Vista without the owners' consent. I'm going to have to talk to the person that you are here to see."

James looked over his shoulder at the man, assessing him, all the while sighing for what seemed like the millionth time that day. The doorman was of medium build with dark hair and ever darker eyes. He had a bored expression on his plain face, as if he had to go through this conversation every day, at many different times. 

"Uh..." James said unintelligently, pushing his hair out of his face. "Well, I'm here to look at a loft that's for rent. It's number..." His words drifted off as he dung into his messenger bag. The doorman looked restless and James took out the yellow flyer from his bag, a triumphant smile on his face. "It's number 295, floor eleven," he finished, handing the man the flyer. 

In return, the smaller man looked at it for a few seconds before giving James a dirty look. A little offended by the glare, James looked on as the doorman strode a few feet over to a buzzer that hung on the wall. He pressed a button towards the bottom, and spoke clearly, sounding almost clipped, "Miss Evans?" 

He waited a few seconds, and was just about to speak again, if his opening mouth was any indication, when there was a buzz back, and a feminine voice answered back, "Yes, Antony?" 

There was another buzz as the doorman -Antony- held down on it again. After a few seconds, he spoke into the receiver again. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but there is someone here about the loft. Should I send them up?"

The next buzz came back in less than a few seconds, and this time, the woman sounded hurried and excited. "Oh, yes, Antony. Everything's fine up here. Send 'em up!"

"Alright, Miss Evans," Antony replied, pressing down the buzzer. Once he was done, he walked back over towards James, looking sullen; James rather got the impression that he hadn't wanted him to be let up. "Well, she says to let you up," he said, even though James already knew that. "So...."

"Yea..." James said, nodding his head. He fidgeted with his bag, tightening the strap. "So I guess I'll be going then." Seeing the doorman nod his head, James walked into the glass door, looking back at Antony as he did so. He saw that Antony was glaring at him, yet once he saw James look at him, he swirled around, looking embarrassed. 

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Ok, then, James thought slowly, shaking his head. He took off his gloves, flexing his fingers once they were off; it was much warmer in the building, and James was very happy to be out of the cold. Spotting the elevator, James strode towards it, completely oblivious to the stares that many of the female staff were shooting him. 

Once he was inside the elevator, James pressed the eleventh button, smiling as it lit up. As the elevator rose up from the ground, James looked around the elevator, wondering how on Earth it could look better than his entire apartment. There was light blue paint on the walls, and a matching seat along the wall. The entire ceiling was done in glass, and as he looked up, he saw his reflection.

James knew that he was an attractive man, what with the height (six foot two), and the handsome and chiseled face. But seeing it reflected in those mirrors, he was suddenly hit with the notion that he was too common for this place, that he was too normal. He was still looking up when the doors opened, reviving him of his thoughts. 

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Well, James thought as he walked out of the elevator and down the hall. He was in front of the door that said 295 in brass letters before he knew it, and he suddenly found himself nervous. _Here goes nothing._ He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

He waited.

He was just raising his hand to knock again when the door flew open, revealing a beautiful young woman. She was short, with long, curly red hair and bright green eyes. Her face was oval shaped, with pleasant features, and at the moment, there was a large smile on her face. She had a nice figure, and the denim skirt and green sweater that she wore showed it off nicely. 

"Hello!" She said brightly, opening up the door more to accommodate him. He nodded his head towards her as he walked into the room, smiling as he did so. Once he was inside, she turned towards him and as him very politely, "So, you must be the person here to see the loft?"

"Yea," James said, shifting his weight onto his right foot. He noticed that she too had an English accent, and he wondered why she moved here from England as well. "I am." He indicated towards the couch in front of him, noticing it's plush cushions. "You don't mind if I take off my coat, do you? It's a little stiffy in here..."

Lily was looking at him oddly, perhaps wondering about his accent as well. There weren't a lot of English people in the States, and when one came across another, there tended to be a few questions. And even though James could tell that she wanted to ask him something, she only nodded her head, clearing her mind of such thoughts that were only too evident on her face. "Yea, sure. I don't care." She tilted her head, and then stuck out here hand. "I'm Lily, by the way. Lily Evans."

James took her hand in his and shook it, noting how warm her fingers were. He finished shaking it and then proceeded to zip off his jacket, taking his messenger bag off before hand. James noted to roving look that Lily gave him once he was done, yet he chose to ignore it; he got enough of it practically everyday. "James Potter, pleasure to meet you."

Underneath his leather jacket, James was wearing a black, ribbed turtle neck that showed off his muscles. He was also wearing a pair of black jeans and black boots, and everything complimented his black hair and hazel eyes. Around his neck, he wore a golden chain with a ring at the bottom. James thought he looked presentable, but the look that Lily was giving him made him think that he looked a little... well, weird, was the only word for it.

After an awkward silence, Lily raised her head to James, her bright green eyes expressionless. She coughed before saying, "I'm going to be blunt with you, Mr. Potter." She looked at him, waiting for him to say something. When he nodded for her to continue, she sighed and said, "I don't think that you are going to become my new roommate." She stared at him. "I don't think that I would feel comfortable with a male roommate; too many complications."

Taken aback, James could only say the first thing that came to mind. After all, this was the best apartment that he had found yet, and he wasn't going to give it up for anything. 

"Well, I guess it's good that I'm gay then, isn't it?"

The only problem was, of course, that he wasn't.

****

Well, what did you think? I thought it was weird, but maybe that's because I came up with the idea at one o'clock in the morning. Who knows?

Anyhoo, I think that this is the first fic out there like this, and I hope I did it justice. And for those of you that think that this is just plain stupid, remember, this is FAN FICTION, and that, of course, Lily and James will get together.... In the end. But not before many funny things happen along the way.

So, yea. There ya go. A freaky chapter... for a freaky fic. 

Peace out then, and all that good stuff.

Melly Mel-Mel (First of the Geeks)


	2. James' Lover

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DISCLAIMER: I am not J.K Rowling; I suck, while she is a published writer. So yea. 

****

"Let me get this strait," Sirius Black said, looking at James over the top of his sofa. Sirius was a handsome man with dark brown hair and Greek features. He had dark, assessing eyes, and at the moment, they were looking at James with a surprised and apprehensive glint. "You want me to pretend to be your, for lack of better word, _lover_, just so you can get the loft?" He shook his head. "You must be stark raving mad."

James, sitting behind the island that was in the middle of the kitchen, sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No, I'm not." He didn't give any other information on the matter, instead deciding to pick at the pizza that was in front of him. 

Still looking over the back of the couch, Sirius regarded James in silence. James and himself had been best friends ever since they were eleven, when they first met each other at school. They had been through thick and thin together, and James had helped him out with more problems than Sirius was able to count. The least he could do was help him out in _his_ time of need.

"Fine," Sirius said hauntingly, yanking on the sleeve of his red shirt. Noting how James didn't look up from his plate, Sirius coughed and said again, louder, "Fine. I'll do it. I'll pretend to be your boyfriend." He gave a roguish grin, and as James looked up, his smiled widened. 

"Really?" James asked, surprised, yet happy. "You'll really do it? You'll really be my boyfriend?" Once he was finished, James looked confused, wondering if those words really came out of his mouth. Then, noting the look Sirius was giving him, he hastened to assure him, "I didn't mean that how it sounded."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at James, but said nothing in return. Instead, he shook his head and turned to the TV in front of him. He was watching some dance show, where none of them could dance, and they were all singing along to _Saturday Night Fever_. One dancer, an energetic woman wearing skates and sporting an afro, swirled around in a circle and promptly fell on her backside.

Seeing this, Sirius laughed heartily, smacking his thighs. Then, without warning, he said in a deep voice, "Good Lord, I should hope not." In return, James opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Sirius leapt up from the couch, pulling his shirt done in the process. "Well, we might as well get something to eat; I'm starving."

Once again, James opened his mouth to speak, and yet again, Sirius cut him off. "Ooh!" He shouted as his favorite commercial came on, one with a beautiful young woman wearing very little, holding a box of clothing detergent. She was twirling around, box of _Fab_ 5 in hand, all the while singing and dancing. Sirius was practically drooling as she did a split, signifying the end of the commercial. He looked about ready to cry.

"Mmm, mm, mm, mm, mm," Sirius said, clapping his hands together. "That is one _fine _lady. Especially with those legs." Then, without remembering that, now since he and James were _boyfriends_, that saying such things was inappropriate, Sirius walked over towards the door, grabbing his keys from up off of the table as he did so. He turned around when he saw James still sitting behind the island. "Well, aren't we going to get going? I'm loosing about five pounds here as we speak."

Instead of answering, James's smile just grew wider, showing his strait, white teeth. "Oh, Sirius, you really are a funny one, you know that?" When he still didn't get up, and Sirius was starting to give him a quizzical look, James' grin widened to that of a measure that people would think your face would crack. "We can't eat now; we need to save some space for later."

"Uh..." Sirius said slowly, apprehensive once again. For all the great fun that they had together, James could still be very tricky. "And why, exactly, do we need to save room for later?" The smile was gone from his face now, and he was only looking slightly afraid.

"Because, my little cabana boy," James said, still smiling, as he got up from his chair, all the while walking towards Sirius. "I promised my new roommates that I would bring my boyfriend over for dinner tonight at _Lé Crunch. _You know," James said in a mock seductive voice, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. "Just to get a good look at you."

Sirius, as he dodged out from underneath James' arm, wondered what in the Hell he had gotten himself into.

****

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Sirius said as he pushed his hands in his pockets, trying to warm up against the cold. It was starting to snow, and the little facts that it was night and they were on the lake weren't helping at all.

"I can," James said simply, bowing his head against the sudden drift of snow; his black hair could only help so much, . But despite the cold, James gave Sirius an impish grin. "It must be my hot and sexy bod." He sighed as yet another snowflake fell onto his glasses, obscuring his vision. "Now, try to flow with me here, all right? We need to act this very well, or else they'll suspect something. Now," he looked towards Sirius. "Tell me about our relationship."

In return, Sirius sighed and shook his head in a very dog-like manner, getting the flakes out of his hair. "We met at school a couple years back, during an, er... _math_ class," Sirius said in a dull voice. "We were friends first, and lovers later. We got into a fight one night, after you told me that you were moving to the States, and then the next day you were gone. And now, a few months later, we're here. There ya go."

"Yea," James said, something clicking in his mind. "But that doesn't explain how we go back together." He reached into his pocket to grab his gloves, but when his hand touched the lining of it, he realized, belatedly that he forgot them at Sirius'. "Aw, crap," he muttered, hoping that Sirius hadn't heard him. He didn't.

"Well," Sirius answered. "How about I felt upset about it, so I came to Chicago to find you. I did, and we got back together." He shivered as he pulled the labels of his coat up higher, trying to warm his neck. "Remind me again why we decided to walk," Sirius said with another shiver. "It's below zero out here."

"I don't know," James said in return, zipping up his leather jacket. He was wearing pretty much the same thing that he was the day before, when he went over to look at the loft. Black pants and a black turtle neck, along with his leather jacket. "Maybe because it's only a few blocks away from your apartment."

"Y-yea," Sirius said, teeth chattering. "Tha-that might be i-it." He seemed to not want to talk anymore, if his sudden silence was any indication, and James was only too happy to oblige. 

The rest of the walk to the restaurant was done in silence, Sirius or James occasionally readjusting some article of clothing in hopes of getting warmer. It seemed that in no time, the were standing in front of _Lé Crunch_, their breaths coming out in puffs before them.

"Well..." James said after a while in which they just stood there. It was stealthily getting colder as they didn't move, and James felt that he was frozen, sticking to the ground like the ice beneath him. "I guess we should get in there."

Sirius nodded his head, shaking off some of the snow flakes that had gathered there falling off in the process. "Yea, I guess we should." 

And so they walked into the restaurant, both of them with torrents of emotions running through them.

****

First of all, I just want to thank all the people that reviewed! I wouldn't be here without you. So, just to make this chapter longer (hehe, I'm so slick that I scare myself.), I'm going to make replies.

Aus: Uh.. What do you mean by "Pre OotP"? And I think it WOULD make a pretty amusing plot.

Something Original1: Uh.. never watched it before, so I have no idea what you're talking about.

NiNaPoP: You're wait's not long...

jinky: Thanxz..

chewy: Uh.. remember the movie yet?

SummrMagic: It's off to a slow start, sorry. :-P

Bethie: Aww, thanxz! I love it when people say that I'm a good writer; I don't think that I am 'cause I'm only twelve...

Helen: A lot of people seem to agree with you on the original part...

Nike25: I updated. Is it at the top of the list?

isidore13: I... like it too?

Sarah: Uh... Sarah? I live in the Chicago area as well. I have nothing against them; I was just trying to make it sound like something an English person would say.. I don't think it worked though...

Knockturnalley256: Thanxz! Here's the next chappy!

Liat86: Uh.. is this soon enough?

pen-paper-action: I'm not going to write any more fics after this. Actually, what I mean is that I'm not going to start anymore, unless it's a joint fic that I have someone else that can write as well. Don't worry.

PoTtErSPaYnE: I did!

Enchanter of the Stars: I wrote me, see?!

Ok then, there's all of them. If you wanna see your name up there (I generally read the fics of people that review), REVIEW!!! I NEED them! 

Anyhoo, sorry it's such a short chapter; I've been busy working on She Went all the Way, so yea. Oh, and for those of you who are looking for the next chapter, I'm probably going to update in a couple days! If I can get it up, that is; I've been having some problems with posting.

Well, peace and all that good stuff.

Melly Mel-Mel (First of the Geeks)


	3. Lé Crunch

Thanxz for all of the reviews, you guys. I haven't ever gotten so many, just by having two chapters up. It's enough to make a girl feel the love... which I do, of course. ::Grin::

Also, I have no idea what's going to happen, other than a few parts of conversation and some of the actions.. red wine rocks man.. hehe. So... I'm pretty much just making this up as I go along.

Right, well, on I go, I guess.... yay?

Melly Mel-Mel (First of the Geeks)

****

As James walked into _Lé Crunch_, he noticed strait away two women sitting alone at a booth in the corner. One was a pretty red head wearing a short black dress with a flared skirt, and the other was a bored looking blonde with thick framed glasses and intriguing teal eyes...

"Whoa," Sirius said, leaning over the feet inches between them. "Check out the babes sitting in the corner over there. What I'd like to do to..." He was cut off by the look James gave him. "What? You don't agree with me?"

James looked over at his pretend boyfriend, his eyebrow raised. "You know, you really are an ass, Sirius," James said, looking at Sirius like he was insane. "And I know you're dieing to know why, so I'm going to tell you the reasons. A, because you are supposed to be my boyfriend, not some girl-crazy dog." Sirius gave him a smile at this, but James ignored it.. " And B, because those two people are my new roommates."

Sirius looked shocked for a moment, and stared intently at the two women. After a few minutes, he turned to James and said, very solemnly and seriously, for once fitting into his name, "Well, you're going to have a Hell of a time staying 'gay', James." And then, without another word, he strode towards them, leaving James behind him.

Sighing, James shook his head, his black hair smacking him in the face. He still couldn't believe that he had told Lily that he was gay. It had all tumbled out of his mouth so quickly, that once he was done saying it, he didn't even have enough time to feel abashed or surprised. 

And then again with Sirius. Sirius Black, his best friend from school, the one who had stuck with him through thick and thin, had, of course, been his first choice for his 'boyfriend'. Granted, he was really the only male friend that he had here in the States, since he had left most of them back in England, but even if that hadn't been the case, he still would have picked him. 

But everything had happened in a whirlwind since the first lie, but throughout the entire process, the entire notion hadn't really hit him. It still hadn't, to be entirely truthful, but James supposed it would happen sooner or later... hopefully sooner, so that he would be able to fit into his role better.

But for the time being, James was going to try and fit the said role as well as he could, and pray to God that no one found out. With these thoughts on his mind, James strode towards the table, a falsely happy look on his face. 

"Hello," James said as he pulled out his chair, a grin on his face. Once he was sitting down in the comfortable dark wooded chair that matched the table that held glasses of water and many expensive plates, he took off his jacket, a difficult feat since he was still sitting. He turned back to them. "How are you two this evening?"'

"Well," the red head said in return, just as the blonde next to her said, somewhat loudly, "No. Fucking. Way." Hearing this, James was became very anxious, thinking that perhaps this woman had seen his on one of his many trips to the local bars that were notorious for singles 'hooking up'. He even started making up an excuse that would hopefully fool the two young women in front of him.

So it's needless to say that James was extremely relieved when, after Lily asked about her partner's use of vulgar language, the blonde went, "_This _is the James that you've been talking about for the past couple of days?" 

"Uh..." Lily said brilliantly, a blush creeping up her pretty face. Though why she was so embarrassed was beyond James' comprehension. "Yea, it is. Why do you ask?"

In return, she shrugged, her jacket moving up and down as she did so. She was wearing a long blue skirt and a form flattering white blouse that was underneath a loose blue jacket. And though she didn't look like anyone that James knew, he felt that he had seen her someplace before. 

"No real reason," she answered, her teal eyes roving up and down James' form. "It's just that the first time that I saw him, he didn't exactly strike me as the 'gay' type, if you know what I mean." She gave the still blushing Lily a look that made her face change to a color not much lighter than her hair. 

Lily coughed, looking very uncomfortable. "The _first _time that you saw him, Mel?" She asked, looking between her companion and James. At his side, Sirius went unnoticed, something that didn't happen much when they were at a place full of women. "When, and where, might I ask, did you see him?"

"Nothing fancy, Lils," the woman said, shrugging once again. James noticed that her bun swayed a bit as she did this, and her chose to stare at this instead of the women in front of him. "Just at the bus stop a few days ago." She smirked. "He almost forgot to put on his gloves."

Once James heard this, he looked down from her bun, a dumb expression on his face. Her looked into her eyes, and was suddenly hit with the memory of sitting on a cold bench, his butt practically frozen, and a smart ass of a woman sitting next to him, smoking a cigarette....

"That was you?" James cried, incredulous. The surprised tone was more for the fact that he was highly relieved that she hadn't seen him at a bar, not because he was remembering her for any particular reason. 

But apparently, she didn't take it that way, for she asked, quite indignant, "What?" Her teal eyes were glaring at him, and they were locked on his face, most likely trying to figure out his thoughts from his expression. James thought that it was a good thing that he expression was somewhat schooled.

"No reason," he replied after a moment of silence. He was very aware of Sirius and Lily looking at him, their faces almost identical. After a few minutes more of awkward silence, James asked, slightly perturbed at their stillness, "What?"

But before anyone could answer, the waiter came bustling over, a hugely false grin on his face. "Hello, I am Michel. I will be your waiter for this evening. Are you ready to order, or shall I come back later?" When nobody gave out any information, he looked between all of them, a hopeless look on his face. "Or maybe I can just order your drinks for you?"

Sirius, being the first one to regain his awareness to the situation, turned towards Michel and said, in a faux cheery voice, "Yes, I'll have the goat cheese ravioli, and so will he," he added as an afterthought, pointing towards James. 

If Michel found it odd that James hadn't answered for himself, he showed no sign as he turned towards Lily and Melissa. After they both ordered (Lily with manicotti and Melissa with plain spaghetti), and Michel went off to find their choice red wine, they are got comfortable in their chairs, getting ready for the "investigation". 

****

Ok. I feel really sick right now, and I promised that I would update today. But I might not be able to finish the rest of it tonight, so I'm going to have a second part to this chapter. Sorry. 

Also, cheerleading started up again, so I don't know when I'll be able to post on any of my fics, other than She Went all the Way, which will have a new chapter next week. Until then, buh-bye!

Oh, I guess for this fic, I'll to review comments. If you review, you'll see yourself up here! :D

The Second Geek: No... he's not.

Julie38: I'll look for it, next time I'm on there.

soccer-wizard: WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY THAT!?!?!

PeRkieGuRl: Thanxz! I appreciate that!

orlirox: ::drool:: Mmmm.. Orli.

BREAKS INTO SONG AT RANDOM TIMES GIRL: Happy? 

Remy's Gurl: Well, your wait is over. Sorry it sucks.

-_-: I dunno if it is. I haven't seen it...

Me: It's nice to know you like it!

NiNaPoP: I like being creative and original.

gryffspopgurl: I don't like slash so much either, but I'll read it.

dream-catcher27: 'Oops, I did it again!' Sorry... Brittany Spears moment..

i o u a name: I updated. :D

Jo12: You'll find out in the next chappy. Or.. the SECOND half of this chappy.

meLisSa: Thanxz! And it only just gets better. ^_^

Fairuz: It wouldn't be a Lily/James fanfic without the luuuurve.

pen-paper-action: Thanxz. Here's the update. :D

Patty: I love the location too. And, once again, you'll find out in the next chappy.

The-FuNnY-DaNcInG-mOnKeY: Thanxz. :D ^_^ I posted again1!

chewy1: Do you remember the movie yet? And the Sirius idea just came to me, lol.

Nike25: Are you happy to see it up there again. Well.. if you kept it there, I mean.

Stefanorkle: Thanxz. :D

Emo: Are you happy there's a third?

Enchanter of the Stars: Well, uh... this IS a fan fic.

Aus: I'm evil, aren't I?

Okee day then. I'm done here. I'm going to go plan the second half to this. Sorry if you hate me!

Peace, 

Melly Mel-Mel (First of the Geeks, a.k.a RECEDING HAIRLINE MAN!)


	4. Moving Day

"Jeeze," Lily said, moaning. She dropped the box that was in her arms and stood up to stretch her back. She grimaced when she heard it crack. "What does James have in these boxes? A million different hard-cover books?"

"No," Sirius answered from his place on the floor. He was stuck opening up his 'boyfriend's' boxes. "More likely an extensive porno collection." Seeing Lily's grossed-out expression he laughed an continued ripping open the box in front of him. "Don't worry. You're probably right about the whole book collection. James reads a lot."

Lily nodded, relieved that Sirius was just kidding. "He strikes me as the type that does." She smiled wistfully. "One reader can always find out a fellow reader. Kind of like that neurotic people theory."

Sirius looked up at that one. "You mean where if you put two neurotics in a room, they're find each other?" He nodded his head like it made sense. "That must be how James and I met."

Lily laughed, and headed out into the hallway. She came back empty handed. "Looks like that's the end of the pile. No more obnoxiously heavy boxes for me to carry in." Sirius laughed again and looked down at what had taken up so much space in his friend's box. He was surprised to see the multiple picture frames.

Lily, looking over his shoulder, was surprised too. "Wow," she said pointing towards the picture on the top. Sirius jumped at her voice; he hadn't seen nor heard her come up behind him. "You guys must have been really young there."

It was a picture of James and Sirius, both of their arms around each other. They looked remarkably the same, with messy black hair and their expressions. The only thing amiss about the picture were the other two people in the picture. One was male, the other female.

"Who are they?" Lily asked. She looked at the raven haired girl to the brunette, sickly looking boy. 

She didn't see Sirius swallow. "That's Jamie," he said, picking up the picture. Lily wasn't sure if he was talking about the boy or the girl, but knew she'd find out soon enough. She wasn't disappointed. "James's twin sister. They were inseparable." Lily noted the sound of his voice, and knew right away that she was dead.

"And that's our other friend from school." He shook his head as if to rid himself of his thoughts, and put the picture back down in the box. He carefully closed the box and called for James. He came rushing out of his new bedroom.

He smiled broadly as he rushed out of the bedroom. He was wearing a pair of loose blue jeans and a green T-shirt. He wiped a drop of sweat from his forehead. "Hey you guys," he said, squatting down on the ground. "You should see the view from my new room! Well, not you Lily," he said, a thought coming to him, "you've already seen it."

Lily didn't return his smile, and even though he hadn't known her very long, he knew that something was upsetting her. He looked from between her to Sirius. "Ok, what's going on? Did Sirius say something stupid about my choice in underwear?"

She managed a small, sad smile, before heading towards the door. "I'm going to go see if you left anything in my car, OK?" It seemed like she couldn't get out of the room fast enough. "I'll just be a mom- I'll just be right back."

  
She was just to the front door when her escape route was cut off. Melissa walked into the door, looking pissed-off as usual. She was wearing a pair of baggy jeans and had a jacket on over another green sweater. She scowled at everyone in the room. "Looks like everyone started this _joyous_ occasion without me. I feel heartbroken."

"What crawled up your butt?" Sirius asked, half-joking. He had confided in James a week earlier that he didn't really like Melissa. 

Melissa didn't seem to find his humor, if indeed she even tried looking for it. She glared at him. "I could ask you the same question, only I'm pretty sure that I already know." Her glare was switched from him to James. 

Sirius got up to defend his 'boyfriend'. In fact, his mouth was open, ready to make a cutting remark, when Melissa gave a little _huff_ and stormed out of the room. She slammed the door behind her so hard that one of the pictures over the fireplace shook and almost fell off of the mantle. 

Lily looked between James and Sirius and walked to her bedroom, her sadness that was triggered by the picture of James's twin and the other friend momentarily forgotten. She opened the door without knocking and softly closed it behind her. 

Then there were only two left in the front room. James looked to Sirius and picked up the box that had given Lily so much trouble in one sweep. "Best get these into my room." Sirius nodded and followed suit. They had all of the boxes in James' new bedroom when there was a knock on the front door. 

For a moment, James was still, not sure what he should do. Where there was another knock on the door, and there was no motion from inside Melissa's bedroom from either of the two girls, James sighed and headed towards the door, Sirius following behind him. James threw open the door without bothering to look through the peep-hole. Who they saw surprised him.

He was tall with shaggy brown hair and light blue eyes. He was wearing a pair of rumpled blue jeans and a tie-dye T-shirt. He held a coffee mug in his hand. Seeing who opened the door, he stood back a step and looked at the number over the door. The letters still read 295, and seeing them, the man put a smile on his face and asked, "Where's Lily?"

James was still so surprised that all he could manage was a little grunt and to point towards Melissa's bedroom. 

The man nodded his head. "Oh, I see. Well, um.. I'm kind of looking for some sugar. Got some cookies to make for this girl I like down at the lib-." A thought occurred to him. "Who the Hell are you guys?"

James came out of his stupor as soon as he heard 'guys'. He looked behind him to see Sirius with the same dumb-struck expression on his face. Without answering his question James leapt upon the man and gave him a bear hug. "Remus!"

The man - Remus, as it were- pried James' arms off of him. "Hey man! What are you doing. Who _are_ you?"

Sirius was grinning. "James, man, I don't think ol' Remus recognizes us." He dragged James over to him and threw his arm around his shoulders. Both of them grinned over at their old friend. "Now do ya recognize us, Moony?"

Remus blinked a few times as if he couldn't quite believe it. "James.... Sirius?! Is it really you?"

"In the flesh, brother."

James and Sirius' friend gave them both a hug that rivaled James's. "Man, has it been long! I haven't seen nor heard from you since.. what.... _three years _ago? What have you guys been up to? And what the Hell are you guys doing here? You still haven't answered my earlier question. Oh, and did you guys know that I live right down the hall? Man, this is amazing! I can't believe I'm really seeing you guys. It's been so long! What have you guys been up to? Oh.. I already asked that. Well, why aren't you guys answering my questions?"

All James and Sirius could do was stare at Remus, their mouths agape. "Whoa..." Sirius said, blinking. "Remus, I know you're half-dog - so am I, don't forget- but you're just being a _tad bit_ hyper, don't ya think? You're practically jumping up and down wagging an imaginary tail."

"I am not!"

He was.

"Fine!" He exclaimed, realizing what the looks the pair were sending him meant. "Excuse me if I'm happy to see the best friends I've ever had after three years. I'm just happy is all."

Sirius laughed. "More like hyper-active and drunk, if you ask me. But since you didn't," he grinned, "I guess it's best if we answered your questions." He led his two friends over to the sofa in the middle of the living room. They sat down and got comfortable. "Well.. where to begin?" 

"Well, I guess we should tell him about the fact that I'm the new roommate, right? That's answers about half of his questions." He winked at Remus. "And as for what we've been up to, I guess I should-" He was interrupted by one of his roommates.

"Oh great," Melissa groaned, "the gays have become friends with the neighbors. Isn't this just _great, _Lily?"

Remus let out a sputtering laugh. "James Potter and Sirius Black, gay? Why that's the most-"

James let out a nervous laugh. "_incredible _ thing I've ever heard!" After James finished Remus' statement, he dragged Remus out into the hall, Sirius following at his heals. "I'll be back in a moment!" He shouted over his shoulder to Lily, who was shocked at the turns of events, and Melissa, who was just glaring.

Out in the hallway, James propped Remus up against the hallway wall, right underneath a 100 watt light bulb.

"Hey man," Remus said, shielding his eyes. "What is this all about? My eyes are freakin' killing me. And what's with Melissa and Lily saying you're gay? And why did you drag me out here? Jesus, that light bulb is burning out my retinas. What the Hell is going on?"

In front of him, Sirius laughed. "If there was one thing I forgot, Moony, it was that you asked a lot of questions when you're nervous.. or excited." He looked down at the front of Remus' pants. "You haven't wet yourself, have you?"

"No, you ass!" He looked between him to James. "Or asses, I'm not quite sure. Now will _one of you_ please answer my questions? I'm wondering if you guys really are gay- Sirius' looking at the front of my pants kind of grossed me out a bit."

It was James' turn to laugh. "Don't worry Remus. There will be no need for you to bring pepper-spray whenever you come over to the apartment. Sirius and I aren't really gay."

Remus took this without question; at school they had some many girlfriends it made your head spin. "Then why the Hell are Mel and Lily saying that you are? And don't lie."

"I wasn't about to," James answered. "The reason they think Sirius and I are gay is.. well.. because when I looked at the place, Lily said that she wouldn't be comfortable with having a 'male roommate'. So.. I kind of told her that I was gay to make her feel better- the apartment is awesome, as you can plainly see.

"Anyway, this left me with the problem of having to find a 'boyfriend'. Naturally, I picked Sirius. I've only been here for about two months, and I haven't really met any men. Right, well, Lily told me that she wanted to meet my boyfriend, just as a little test, I gather. Well, Sirius being Sirius -or not serious, I guess. Forgive the pun- managed to screw it all up. First he spills whine on Melissa, which I think was purposeful, and then starts to mop it up.. In a public place, nonetheless! And then his ex-girlfriend comes up and drops whine on _his_ lap. Leave to Sirius to get a girlfriend the first month we're in the States. So then Melissa and Lily were wondering who the Hell that bitch was- Melissa said that, not me. So then Sirius said that it was his _ex-girlfriend_!"

"Well, she was!" Sirius answered, ready to defend himself.

"That wasn't part of the plan, dumbass. Anyway, Sirius forgot that we were supposed to be gay, and this left Melissa to have some questions. So, _naturally_, the only thing for Sirius to say was that he was Bi-sexual. And ever since then, Melissa and Lily have been on our cases. Sirius nearly cost me the apartment."

"Oh yea," Remus said after a long silence. "You guys are both _definitely_ asses. Do you guys even _realize_ what position this puts you guys in?" He shook his head. "You guys never did think what could or would happen in regard to your actions. Jesus, you guys _really_ fucked up this time."

Sirius glared down at him. "Well, at least I didn't overanalyze everything. I actually _lived_ while we were at school."

Remus glared back at him. "There was no way I _could_ live during school. Or have you forgotten that I'm a freakin' werewolf?"

Sirius opened his mouth, probably to say something uncaring about that statement, like, 'You shouldn't have let that hold you back', but James cut him off. "Anyway, now we're in another jam."

"Oh, _really_?" Sirius asked, switching his anger over to James. "You finally realize how hopeless this is?"

"No," James answered, not in the least bothered by Sirius' anger; he had had it focused on him before. "How are we going to explain how we know about Remus?" They all stewed over this for a while until James came up with, "What if we tell those two that we know you from school? That's possible."

"No it's not," Remus answered. "Lily went to Hogwarts, or did you not know that?" He took in their silence. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and take that as a 'yes'." He shook his head. "James, you still play guitar?"

James nodded slowly. "Yea... what of it?"

"Oh, nothing, don't worry. We could tell them that we met during a talent search or audition or something. That could work."

James smiled and gave Remus another bone-crushing hug. "Remus, you're a genius!"

Remus patted him on the back. "Yes, I know I am. But I won't let it rain over you."

"You're also incredibly modest."

Remus laughed and pushed James away. "Great, well, glad we got this covered. I think it's best that we go back inside- I really do need that sugar. I have to bake those cookies."

"Tell me about this girl, Moony. It must be pretty serious if you're already _baking_ for her."

"It's not all that serious," he told him, laughing. "I just like her is all. Her name is Austynne and she's got the most _gorgeous_ eyes. We met at the library a couple weeks ago, and we've gotten to know each other pretty well- I'm going to ask her out. Well, after she breaks up with her boyfriend. He's such an ass....."

****

At eleven o'clock that evening all five of them sat in the living room, tired out of their minds. Well, except for Melissa. She was just crabby. " I can't believe that you had _seven_ boxes full of books, James," Melissa told him, using his giving names for the first time the entire day. "I never knew you read a lot."

He shrugged, then realized that he didn't want to do that since his shoulders hurt so much. Putting all seven boxes of his books up on their proper shelves was a lot of work. "I don't as much as I did when I was younger." He shared a look with Remus and Sirius and then cracked up laughing. "Ok, so I do read more now than I did when I was younger. When I was at school, you couldn't pay me to pick up a book."

"Oh," Lily said, settling back into the pillows at the back of the couch. "If you saw me while I was at school, you would.. well, actually, I don't think you'd be able to." She gave a little laugh. "I was always reading; my friends couldn't pry me out of a book."

Not long after Remus has told him about Lily going to Hogwarts James got a good look at her a realized how she had seemed so familiar to him. While at school, Lily Evans had been somewhat of a joke between the better-off students. She was overweight and short, with this _mop_ of red hair and green eyes that looked about a million times too big for her face behind the giant glasses she wore. James himself had worked with her as Head Boy, and wondered at how he couldn't place her the first time they met. 

He was also very surprised at the fact that she didn't remember who he or Sirius was. They were two of the more popular students at Hogwarts, Remus and Jamie included. Although Remus and Jamie were better known for the fact that they had dated for all seven years at School. 

Jamie...... No, he wasn't going to think about that. Not here and now, when everyone was getting along so well. He wasn't going to ruin this evening. 

James was only thankful for the fact that Lily didn't know about Jamie. That would have been a dead giveaway that James and Sirius weren't telling the truth. If she knew, Lily could tie Jamie with James and then know the truth about him and Sirius. And _then_ he would get kicked out of the apartment. And he couldn't risk _that_.

"....guitar, James?"

Hearing his name, James looked over towards Remus who was smiling at him. "What? Sorry, I didn't hear you."

"I said, why don't you play all of us your guitar?"

James quirked an eyebrow. As soon as the three of them had stepped into the apartment earlier, the first thing out of Melissa's mouth was, "What the Hell is going on?" James used his acting skills through good use and told her that they had just been catching up. It wasn't a lie, not exactly, but Melissa must have known something was up because she asked how they knew each other.

James was thankful that Remus's idea about the audition had worked. 

"Well, OK. What do you guys want to listen to?"

"Oh, Queen!" Everyone looked over at Lily and burst out laughing, Melissa laughing the hardest. James wondered how she could look so different while she was laughing. 

James got up off of the ground. "Yea, let me just go and get it from my bedroom."

James' bedroom was the smallest of the three, but it was pretty large. On two of the walls there were floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that were now filled with books. On the wall that shared the door there was James' queen sized bed. The floors were wooden and everything color coordinated; the bedspread was maroon and gold, which went along very well with the floor. 

The fact that his bedspread was Gryffindor colors had nothing to do with pride. 

James grabbed his guitar case and headed out towards the living room. Sirius was telling a humorous story that had everyone in stitches. "...And then they made me their chief." Lily was on the floor, probably from falling off the couch, while laughing, and was practically rolling.

James sat down and waited for everything to quiet down. It took a good five minuets, but it happened. "Oh, hey man," Sirius said as James started to take out his guitar. "Didn't see ya there."

He smiled. "It's OK. I doubt anyone else saw me. Well, except for that _fine _ladies over there." He winked at Remus. Everyone started laughing all over again; everyone knew that Remus was as straight as they came. Well, not as 'straight' as Sirius, who would have a new girlfriend every week. But since they were pretending to be gay, they weren't supposed to know that.

"That was by far the grossest thing I've ever seen you do." Remus struggled with the next words. "What would your _boyfriend_ think?"

"I don't know," Sirius said, chiming in. "But I know what_ I'm _thinking. THREESOME!" 

Everyone slowly backed away from Sirius... who promptly moved closer. "What do you say?"

"I say, 'Never in a million fucking years." 

"I agree with Melissa," Remus said, smiling. "And I like to think that Lily agrees with, well, the both of us."

Lily gave a flirtation little smile and scooted closer to James. "Oh, I don't know, Remus. James is one very good looking man. So what if he's gay? I could change his ways." No one knew what to say, so they just gaped. Well, except for James. He was just blushing. Lily burst out laughing. "Oh my God. You should have seen your faces. Oh, it was priceless." 

"Actually," Melissa said, " it was pretty freakin' gross. I'll never be able to look at you and James the same way again. A torrid love affair... with a gay man." She shook her head. "OK, so that was just nasty. Bad, _bad_ thoughts." She smacked her head with the heel of her hand. Everyone started laughing again.

James was the first one to stop, so he started strumming his guitar and tuning it. It took him a while to realize that everyone was staring at him. "Um.. what?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing," Lily said. "It's just that you can actually _play_, you know? Like, you fell it.. or.. whatever." She gave a self-depreciating laugh. "Um. Never mind. That was just the writer inside of me trying to get out. Disregard that please."

"Um... sure." James started strumming his guitar. "So, what do you guys want to hear? I can play many different things from different genres. So, whatever you want, I can try. Well, unless is polka music." He pretended to gag. "I don't really do the whole, 'who stole the keeshka,' crap."

Lily laughed and leaned in closer. "I thought I already told you. I want to listen to Queen. I want to hear how good you are."

James shrugged. "I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed, but OK. What do you want to listen to? I know everything except for Bohemian Rhapsody. Can't do all of that harmony stuff with only one person."

Melissa nodded. "I can understand that. How about you sing... _Play the Game_? That was always my favorite."

James shrugged again and tried out some of the chords that he would need to use. He had to tune one, and then he was off, singing as if he was Freddie Mercury. 

__

Open up your mind and let me step inside  
Rest your weary head and let your heart decide  
It's so easy when you know the rules  
It's so easy all you have to do  
Is fall in love  
Play the game  
Ev'rybody play the game of love  
  
When you're feelin' down and your resistance is low  
Light another cigarette and let yourself go  
This is your life  
Don't play hard to get  
It's a free world  
All you have to do is fall in love  
Play the game ev'ryone play the game of love  
  
My game of love has just begun  
Love runs from my head down to my toes  
My love is pumping through my veins (play the game)  
Driving me insane  
Come come come come play the game play the game play  
The game play the game  
  
Play the game everybody play the game of love  
  
This is your life - don't play hard to get  
It's a free free world all you have to do is fall in love  
Play the game yeah play the game of love  
Your life - don't play hard to get  
It's a free free world all you have to do is fall in love  
Play the game - ev'rybody play the game...

When it was over, no one knew what to say. "Wow..." Lily said, the green eyes wide. "That was... wow." That seemed to be the consensus. 

"Um... thanks, you guys. I'm really not all that good, but-" He was cut off.

"Bullshit," Melissa said, glaring at him. "You know you're great, and still, you pretend to be modest, but I bet inside you're just bursting at the knowledge that you can wow a lot of people. And to that I only say, hypocrite." She then stormed out of the room and slammed the door much the same way she had earlier in the day. The only difference was that Lily didn't go after her. Instead, she sighed.

"Well, she took _that_ way out of proportion." She got up to clean the cans of coke that were all over the floor and table. "I apologize. Her boyfriend broke up with her today, and she's just upset. " She then carried their cans over to the kitchen.

After a few moments of silence, James started to pack up his guitar, his good mood long gone. Was this what it was going to be like, living with two girls? Dear God, he hoped not.

****

Yay! I finally finished this chapter! It's not what I wanted it to be; it had started out as the second part of _Lé Crunch_. But.. I didn't like that so I just went a head with this. So yea. Hope you don't mind too much.

And thanxz to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate it! Here are the people that did.. and... um.. comments! YAY!! COMMENTSCOMMENTSCOMMENTS.

Oh, and just so I don't forget... Melissa isn't a bitch. Just.. bitchy! There's a difference. 

Ok, NOW on with the comments: 

Aus: Um.. I don't know why I you always say 'Off for More Pie'. But.. PIE PIE PIE PIE!!! PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!

Alysia: THANXZ! I had to have Melissa in there.. She's just a great character. I'll be getting into further details as the fic goes along. And James doesn't strike me as the 'gay type' either. That's why I put that in there.

Brit : Oh, thanxz! I hope you like my other works. They're all dramatically different. But that's A-OK! :P

i o u a name: Thanxz for reviewing! I love you fics! Anyhoo, I did make this chapter large/longer! It was eight pages before I added authors' notes and the such. Hope you like!

Nike25: Um.. did you want me to update She Went All The Way? 'Cause.. I did. After a long, long, LONG time, but I did. Yay, go me.

chewy1: Hmmm, must rent that movie. I rented How To Deal yesterday. That's a good movie as well... :P

pen-paper-action: Well, ok, so there isn't a second half to the last chapter. But... Um.. THERE'S THIS!

NiNaPoP: Thanxz! I appreciate it!

Julie38: It's not great, but thanxz anyways!

patrioticangel : You would be surprised at how many people say that. Thanxz for reviewing!

BREAKS INTO SONG AT RANDOM TIMES GIRL: Buwajajajajajaja. You fooled the system! Whooooo! You deserve an award or something.

little key: I honestly didn't know about the whole Three's Company thing until after I posted this. But ok, fine. BE THAT WAY!! j/k j/k

Remy's Gurl: I don't think that it's 'fucking hilarious',. I don't even try to be funny. Well, in this chapter I did. But.. well... I don't think it worked.

carameLisSa: Yay! Another Melissa! I love meeting other ones.. 'cause they're just SOOO hard to fine. :P

MarryMeJames: Um.. well.. sorry it took so long. ::sigh:: I've just had MAJOR writers' block. And.. um.. yea. Well.. I can't think of anything to say! NOOOOOO! This has never happened before! I AM DYYYYYYYYING! 

That was slightly weird. Eh.

PeRkieGuRL: Thanxz Jenna!!

Agloechen; Eh, it was something to write.

The Spatula Chick: Finally, some criticism! THANK YOU!!!!!! I shall try to make your ideas to make this better come true!

Sarumia: Well, HERE YA GO!

Marissa Ann: Thanxz! And.. I posted. Do I get a brownie point?

lilynjamesAAF: Thanxz. I like to think I come up with weird ideas. 

Starre: Honestly, I had no idea about the Three's Company thing. But if you want to believe that, that's A-OK with me.

Mistress of the Lake: yay! XP

B-a-B-i: I love that line too! I always use it.. 'cause I'm weird and such. Anyhoo, Sirius would make an awesome boyfriend! Don't cha think?

dolphingurl1: I posted! Yay, go me. :P

MonkeyGurl1: Waldo. Yes.. I _vaguely_ remember. :P

Sakura : Thanxz! :D

aPPle-FrrEAk: Ewww! Drool! Don't you hate it when that happens? Anyhoo, no part two. Sorry. 

Ok, well, THERE YA GO! I am done! The next chappy shall be up.. um.. IT WILL GET UP! Ok then. Anyhoo, I didn't use a beta for this chapter. But IT WILL GET BETAD! OK, glad we got that covered. WHAT DO YOU THINK!?

Melissa


	5. Finding A Job

Two weeks later things were looking better. There had only been two fights between the new roommates, one of which was caused by Melissa learning about Lily telling James about her boyfriend breaking up with her. The other was really only a little scuffle that started when Lily spilled Coke on the carpeting in the front room. Overall, James found things to be going pretty well.

The only thing left to worry about was finding a job.

When James had first started out for Chicago he had to switch the little money he had over to a new bank account. Thankfully Sirius had more money from his parents and allowed James to stay at the new apartment that he was renting. The only money James had in his account was enough to cover two and a half month's rent.

This was how James found himself sitting in another bus stop looking, once again, at the posters. "Drummer needed for rock band," James read aloud to himself; unlike the day when he had seen Melissa at the stop there was no one in there sharing the little glass box. "Pays two hundred dollars a week." James snorted. "How the Hell am I supposed to make a living off of that?"

James had looked over every poster except for one when the bus came. Thinking that he could make the bus if he read quick enough, he continued. On the yellow paper it read:

Bartender at Cozy's Bar

Five nights a week

Pay varies

Average pay $300 nightly

2659 Martin Luther King Drive

555-3125

James liked the sound of that and yanked the poster off of the cubical wall. He then started to walk out of the bus stop. It took him a full five seconds to realize that the bus was pulling away from the curb.

"Dammit!" He yelled, and started running to catch up with it. Cold air rushed into his face and chilly wind ruffled his hair. He strained his long legs to run as fast as they could as he bypassed mounds of snow and patches of ice. He was rewarded when the bus stopped at the curb. 

James continued running until he was right up against the bus. The door opened for him and he came face to fact with a grinning bus driver. "Sonny," the man told him, "you run pretty fast." James blushed, embarrassed, and made his way towards an empty seat. Every face he saw was smiling and his face turned redder as he walked down the aisle. 

He chose a spot in the back and lowered his head to the point where no one would be able to look at him. People all around him sniggered, and he pulled his lapels farther up against his neck to obscure the view even further. The bus ride continued in this fashion until it came to the stop at Martin Luther King Drive.

James hurried off of the bus as fast as he could. As soon as his feet touched the pavement outside he heard the bus driver laughing. At the same time he felt something wet and cold on his leg. Grimacing he looked down. His pant leg was soaked and had little white flurries it.

"Gah!" He yelled, shaking his leg in the air to rid himself of the wetness. All that happened from this action was the water soaked even further into his sock. Realizing it was a useless battle James walked down the street, his foot squishing unpleasantly in his shoe. 

He didn't have far to walk, as Cozy's was but a few yards away from the bus stop. Cozy's was a little hole in the wall bar, James mused. It was made entirely out of red brick and had a neon green sign with the insignia of the pub above it. 

"Well," he said, the grimace still on his face. "Here goes nothing." He opened up the door and walked inside.

Although it looked small from the outside Cozy's was actually fairly large. It had multiple sets of booths, a dance floor, a stage, and an island in the middle. Behind the bar was a man. As soon as James stepped inside he looked up and said, "Dude, it's ten A.M. We're closed."

"I know that," James answered. "I'm here for the job."

The man behind the counted looked him over. He was an extremely tall man, standing at probably somewhere along six foot six. He had short cropped blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a hard body that was pressed tightly into a white T-shirt and jeans.

He nodded, walked out from behind the bar, and headed over to James. As soon as he stood in front of him 

he extended his hand. "Jack Ricall," he said, as he pumped James' hand. 

"James Potter," he answered and gestured around the bar. "Great place you got here."

"Thanks." He looked James over again. "You from England or something? You've got an accent."

James sent him a sheepish smile. "Yea. That's usually the first thing people notice."

"Right." He nodded his head. "Follow me."

__

Guess the guy doesn't talk much, James thought as he followed Jack through. This was a contrast to the hospitality that James had grown up with his entire life while living in England. 

Jack led James to the stage that he had noticed earlier. They both walked up the stairs and towards the center where there was a piano. For a moment James marveled at it --Cozy's didn't seem like the place for a piano--, then once again followed Jack as he walked over to the piano. 

"OK, let's see what you got."

James looked at the instrument and then back to Jack. Then back to the piano. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Sit down. Lets see how well you play this baby."

Still, James stared at the piano like it was a Chinese torture device. "I'm sorry, I think there's some kind of misunderstanding. I don't play the piano."

"I thought that all English people learned to play. Like it was some sort of... law or something."

Then James looked at him. "No, sorry to disappoint you, but the only instrument I play is the guitar. Besides, I'm here for the--"

Jack cut him off, laughing. "You play the guitar? I didn't think that a lot of English people played the guitar."

James had to fight the urge to remind this man of the Beatles, but decided against it; after all, he was there for a job. Besides, the guy was just an asshole. And since he lived with Melissa, vulgar comments just rolled right off him. 

For the most part. He _was _brought up a gentleman. 

"Yes, I play the guitar. Pretty damn well too, I might add. But that's pretty irrelevant considering I came here for the bartending job."

"Bartending job?" Jack asked after he stopped laughing. "You don't seem like the kind of guy to work in a bar. You know," he flashed a grin, "English propriety and all that crap."

Once again, James had to stop himself from doing an un-gentlemanly action. Like shoving his boot straight up this guy's ass. Instead, he went with, "You'd be surprised by all the pubs we have over in England. Most of us are drunk." Ok, so that wasn't really true. But Jack didn't really need to know that, did he?

"Riiiight...." Jack replied. He couldn't think of much else to say, so he nodded his head towards the bar. "Follow me then."

Once they had arrived at the bar, Jack sat on one of the many stools and motioned for James to get behind the bar. He did so without talking, and stationed himself by the alcohol. After a moments silence, he asked, "What can I get you?"

"None of that pansy-ass stuff," Jack said. "Please." He shook his head as if ridding himself of such thoughts. "I'll have a martini."

James raised an eyebrow. "Martini?" Jack just didn't seem like the kind of guy....

"Did I stutter?" Jack smiled as if this was hilarious. "Yes, a martini. And make it good. You're possible job is on the line."

James nodded his head and got to work. After all of the parties his mother and father had had while he was younger, catering to the rich and famous was pretty much a key to life. And since most of them wanted martinis --disgusting things that they were-- he had to know how to make them, and make them well.

When he was done pouring the drink into a glass, he pushed it across the bar top towards Jack. He waited --not exactly patiently either-- while Jack took a sip... and then another. And another until finally Jack set down the glass and looked at James.

"Not bad, Pansy-Boy," Jack said, as James asked himself, 'Pansy-Boy? What the Hell?'. "Looks like you got yourself a job."

****

"Yea, I got a job," James said into the payphone. "How is that remarkable?"

"I dunno," Sirius replied. "You just don't seem like the kind of guy to go out and actually get a job. Anyhoo, where is it and how much do you make?"

"It's Cozy's Bar and I get roughly three-hundred a night."

"Three hundred?" He whistled. "That's some big bucks, man. What do you gotta do? Strip down to your tighty-whities and wiggle what your momma gave you?" 

"Nothing so perverse, no. More like I serve drinks. I'm a bartender."

"With all the alcohol we consumed in our rowdier years, and with all the drinks you had to make for your mom and dad and stuff, you should do pretty well."

"I'm glad you have faith in me."

"Eh, you know how I am. I'm always looking for the good of mankind."

"And how, exactly, is my being a bartender doing something good for mankind?"

"Hey, I didn't say that I found what you were doing good for mankind. I just said that I was looking for it."

"OK, first of, that made no sense. Second of all, I gotta go. There's this woman behind me glaring daggers at me."

"Kay, Peace man. I'll catch you on the flip-side."

"Oh, and Sirius?"

"Yea, brother?"

"Never say that again."

"Gotcha. Peace."

"Bye."

****

Remus searched along the many aisles of books, a container filled with cookies in his arm. Austynne was nowhere to be seen, and to be honest, the little kids eyeing the cookies and licking their lips were starting to scare him. But he was here on a mission, and he wasn't going to be daunted.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he saw her bent over one of the tables, a large book on top. For a minute all he could do was stare, but then he drew in a breath, gained some courage, and then walked over to her. 

As soon as she heard his footsteps upon the group she looked up and a smile formed on her face. The smile caused Remus' courage to falter a bit, but in the end, he decided to go ahead anyway. After all, what did he have to loose? Just his ego and the friendship of the woman he possibly loved. 

OK, maybe he did have some things to loose. But like they said, you had to try. And if there was one thing everyone knew about Remus Lupin, it was that he wasn't afraid to try anything once.

But of course, he had never had to try anything quite like this. Aw Hell, if he was going to feel like this around her all the time, maybe he should just drop this whole idea of asking her out and just get on with his life...

"Oi! Remus, over here."

Hearing Austynne's voice, Remus closed his eyes. Did he really want to do this?

"Hey. Remus, you OK?" 

Suddenly, after hearing her voice, everything that had been analyzed and reanalyzed went out the window. So what if he got horribly rebuffed? So what if his ego was shattered? At least he would know-- Aw Hell. If he got refused, he would probably cry or bake a cake or something. 

"Remus?" Remus opened his eyes to see her standing in front of him, waving a hand in front of his face. "Earth to Remus. You there?"

"Uh....." Remus answered, staring into her blue eyes. "HI. Sorry. Just got a little dizzy there for a moment." 

Austynne sent him a lop-sided smile. "OK...." She nodded her head towards the table she was bent over just a few moments before. "C'mon then. I saved a seat for you."

"Oh... thanks," Remus replied. He let out a whoosh of air. "I made some cookies."

They were at the table, and as soon as Remus said that, Austynne made a grab for the cookies. "Ooooh, Cookies!" She yelled, opening the box. "What kind are they?"

"Chocolate Chip. You said that they were your favorite so..."

"Aw, Remus! You shouldn't have." She said the last bit around a mouthful of cookie. She swallowed and sent him a smile. "Wow, these are really good. Where'd you learn to make them?"

Remus stood up, shrugging out of his jacket. "I don't know. I just picked it up I guess. My mom was always baking cookies and cakes and pies and things when I was younger, so I just kind of learned."

"Well, thank your mom for me the next time you see her. 'Cause these are the best damn cookies I've ever had."

"I'll be sure to do that," Remus said, thinking that if he ever saw his mother again, there was another question he'd like an answer to. Like why exactly she never wanted to see him again....

"Anyhoo," Austynne said, breaking him from his thoughts. "What are you up do? I haven't seen you around for a while. Thought maybe you had second thoughts about being my friend and all that happiness."

Remus smiled and pulled one of the books closer to him. "You know that would never happen." He looked up just as she popped another cookie into her mouth. She smiled a smile that sent a jolt through him. He needed to get things over with and soon, before he barfed or wet his pants or something.

"Well, that's good. But it still doesn't answer my question about what you've been up to. Besides baking awesome cookies I mean."

"Nothing much, I'm afraid. Two of my mates from England just moved here, and I'm just trying to spend and much time as I can with them--"

Suddenly, there was a great roar as if a foghorn had gone off inside Remus' head before he was pitched into darkness.

****

OK, well, that took me a long time to get up. Sorry about the delay. I've just been so busy with my school musical and this giant project for my Science class (and not I've been entered in this contest sponsored by ComEd) that I haven't been able to get much writing done. So thanks to all of you who emailed and IMed me and sent me reviews telling me to get my butt in gear. THANKS!

Oh, and since they have that new rule about Author's Messages, I can no longer do the author responses that I love to do. Sorry for those of you who actually liked it when I did those.... So besides a Disclaimer, I won't have an authors' notes. Sorry to those of you who actually read them... :D

THANKS AUS!!! (Thought you might like that, my biggest fan/fanfiction friend!) I changed that line just for you. :)

And people! Austynne is pronounced Austin. Liiike.. the capital of Texas. Ok? OK! (There you go Aus, happy now?)

Melissa


	6. First Day

> > "What the Hell happened?" James asked Remus later that day as he came out of the kitchen with an icepack in his hand.

"Yea, Remmy," Sirius added. "You got a bruise that's almost as big as your face." 

"And almost as big as _your_ head," Melissa shot right back.

But instead of getting angry, Sirius smirked, though none too kindly. "Only for you love."

Melissa glared and opened her mouth to answer, but Remus groaned and sat up from his seat on the couch. "Will you two just shut up? I've already got a headache and you're not helping."

"Sorry," Melissa said, and Sirius grunted.

"So..." James said, passing over the icepack. He sat on the coffee table, not noting the disapproving glare Melissa sent him. "Are you going to tell us what happened?"

Remus groaned again, though this time it wasn't from pain. "God, it was _horrible_."

"I should think so," Sirius said before anyone could stop him. "Otherwise you wouldn't have a black eye." Melissa punched him in the arm. "Bitch. That hurt."

"Shut up," she hissed back. "You want me to give you a matching black eye?"

Sirius scoffed. "Like you'd be able to. You're what, a hundred and-"

James rolled his eyes at his "boyfriend's" sad attempt to keep his ego up. "Sirius, Melissa's right. Shut up. And yes, she can kick your ass. I could kick you ass. _Remus_ could kick your ass, and he's laying on his own right now. So lets find out how this happened so Lily doesn't freak out when she gets home."

"Whatever."

"Right, whatever. Now just sit down like the pretty little boy we all know and love and shut your pie hole." This earned him a look from Melissa, but before James could decipher it, she turned towards Remus. James shook his head at his roommate's antics, then asked Remus again, "What the Hell happened?"

Remus had the icepack over his eye so they couldn't read his expression. He took a deep breath. "Well, I was at the library, carrying around some cookies for Austynne and-"

"Oh boy."

"Shut up Sirius," James growled. Sometimes he could just be such an ass. "Go on Rems."

"Like I was saying. I was bringing over some cookies for Austynne today at the library. I was planning on asking her out."

He paused, and into the silence James said, "But I thought she had a boyfriend. Reeve or whatever."

Wearily, he answered. "I'm getting to that. Well, her and me were just sitting there, talking and eating when all of a sudden this _huge_ guy walks up and just punches me in the face."

"The boyfriend," Melissa said wisely.

"Yea, the boyfriend. Well, I got knocked unconscious 'cause he hit me and my head hit the table, and then they called the cops and you came and got me, and now we're here."

"That's the shortened version, isn't it?"

Remus shrugged, an odd motion since he was lying on his back. "Well, yea. And I don't know what happened to Austynne. When I woke up she was gone."

"I see," James answered finally. "Well, maybe her boyfriend told her to leave or something. I dunno." He sighed. "But I _do_ know that Lily's going to freak. What're we gonna tell her?"

"Uh.... I ran into a door?"

James shook his head. "I don't think that's going to work. Lily's smarter than that. She'd probably figure out that we're lying. Uh.... how about--"

"What if we just don't tell her anything?"

James' head turned towards who had just said that. "Melissa, are you kidding me? You're Lily's best friend. You know better than I that Lily'd want to know and not be lied to."

Melissa rolled her eyes at him. "I know that. But I also know that Lily can't really handle stuff like this. She's sweet and sensitive, yea. But she's also terribly naive."

"And that means she wouldn't want to know... how?"

Before Melissa could answer, a voice called from behind the closed door, "Guys, could you open the door for me? My hands are full of groceries."

Melissa stared at James as she yelled back, "Yeah Lils. I'll be there in a minute." She got up out of her seat and started walking towards the door. When she passed James, she leaned down and said so there was no discussion, "We do _not_ tell her."

James grunted and watched her open up the door for Lily. And even as he went to go tell Lily a made-up lie about Remus' bruise, he couldn't help thinking that this was going to come back and bite him in the ass.

> "Hey baby," a brunette said from over the bar top. "Wanna get me a drink from over on your end?"

James turned to her and motioned behind him. "What do you want? We have all kinds." 

The brunette laughed as if this was very funny -_Probably making up dirty innuendos inside her head,_ James thought- and leaned across the bar. "Whatever kind you think is best," she said with a wink.

James moved away from her and started towards the liquor. "Rum and coke it is."

She laughed again and when he was finished making it, James practically poured the drink on her to get her away. But she didn't go, and after about a half an hour, James had learned that her name was Mindy, she was twenty-six years old, and she had just recently broken up with her boyfriend. No wonder she was flirting with him as if her life depended on it.

It seemed as if Jack had noticed this as well, because he kept shooting him funny looks over Mindy's head that plainly said, "better get used to it, Pansy-Boy" whenever he walked past. But if truth be told, he really didn't _want_ to get used to it, however weird that sounded. And this opinion was most definitely not going to be rectified by Mindy drabbling on and on about how her good for nothing slob of an ex-boyfriend and how _he _would probably be much better.

It was a real relief to see Lily, Sirius and Melissa walk in.

The three of them looked over the bar carefully, and then, after they spotted James behind the counter, they hurried over to it.

"Hey mate!" Sirius yelled, both to be heard over the loud music and to just to be annoying.

"Hey," James answered with a nod of his head. "Didn't know you guy's would be here."

This time, Lily answered. "Of course we would come. It's your first day working. Thought we'd help you make some money."

"And check out some hot guys _and_ get some alcohol."

James smirked. "And here I was, thinking you had come for me. How silly of me."

"Yea well--"

It was at this point that Mindy decided to make herself known. "Oh _James_, you are so _dirty_. 'Thinking you had come for me.' I didn't know you could be so risqué."

All four of them looked over at Mindy, who was now smiling brightly. "Hello all! I'm Mindy."

Melissa blinked. "I'm Janice, she's Francis and he's Sam. Nice to meet you."

Mindy's smile brightened, and she probably would have gotten out of the stool had she not been too shit-faced to stand. "Oooooh. Are you all friends of James? He's such a doll!"

"Yea..." Melissa answered. "We're his roommates and Sam's his boyfriend."

All of the color drained out of Mindy's face. "boy...friend? Surely you must be kidding me."

Lily shook her head. "Nope. Mel- er, Janice is right. They've been dating for quite a while now."

Mindy got out of her seat, grabbed her purse, and promptly wobbled out of the bar.

They all looked after her. "Well, that was rude," Melissa said once she had gone. "She didn't even say goodbye."

Lily and Sirius chortled, while James stared on. "Now how in the Hell did you guys do that? I've been trying to get rid of her all night."

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. We're girls. We know how to get rid of someone very easily."

"Like a stalker or weird men or--"

"Good business."

All of them turned around to see Jack looking at James.

"You need to learn, Pansy-Boy, that some girls are going to come onto you. And so what if you have some boyfriend or whatever? Make sure you get the money."

"But Jack--"

"No buts man. You gotta make a profit. I'm not paying you three hundie a night just a throw away a good customer."

James, realizing that there was no way to make Jack understand, shook his head. "OK. I got cha."

Jack smiled. "Good, no if you'll excuse me, I'd rather like to..." His words trailed off as he saw Lily. "Introduce myself to this lovely lady. Hello."

"Oh.. Hello," Lily answered.

"My name's Jack, what's yours?"

"Lily. I'm James's roommate."

"I'm James's boss. Want me to show you around the place?"

Lily shrugged. "Alright. See you in a few guys," she said to her friends, but she was already being dragged away by Jack.

The three of them blinked after them. "Damn," Sirius said admiringly after a moment. "That guy is one smooth operator."

"Tell me about it," Melissa answered, just as a blonde haired woman stepped up to the bar. "She never goes away with guys that quick."

"Maybe she's turning over a new leaf."

Melissa cocked her head. "I hope not. I hate guys like him; they're a bunch of pricks."

Sirius nodded his head. "I completely understand." He smiled. "I am one of those guys."

Behind the bar, James rolled his eyes. "Yes you are Sirius." Then he looked at the woman sitting in the stool Mindy just left open. "What can I get you?"

She blinked. "Uh.... a beer, I guess."

James nodded and went to work. He set out the drink in front of her. "Here ya go."

She smiled and paid for her drink. "Thanks. The name's Sarah, by the way." And then she left to go out to the dance floor.

James shook his head, thinking that that was both random and slightly amusing. Could his first night get any weirder?

It did.

Lily gave Jack her phone number.

"He's really funny!" She kept saying over and over again.

"Right," Melissa said after the millionth time. "And it doesn't hurt that he's also drop-dead gorgeous."

Lily grinned. "No, that doesn't hurt at all."

They all ignored her and her rambling for the rest of the night.

All besides James, who couldn't help thinking that this was going to complicate things a little bit.

Disclaimer: Do I honestly still have to do this?

Author's Notes: Er... Hello! ::ducks tomatoes:: Ok, yes, I KNOW! I KNOW I haven't updated in, well, quite a while. But I'm SORRY. I've been really busy lately with uh.. school and the musical and.. uh.. ::thinks:: OK, you're not falling for my excuses. Hopefully.. uh.. you can forgive me. :) Please?

::sigh:: Right.. well.. I know this chapter sucked really bad. It was all conversation and it only moved the plot-line around a _little_ bit. But, well, it was all I could really come up with. My muse just hasn't been working lately, except for NEW ideas, that I know I'll never finish. So yea.

But.. at least there were some funny parts in there right? Right? RIGHT? ::sighs again:: OK, yea, I know. That was futile. LEAVE ME ALONE.

I dunno when my next chapter will be, sorry. :

I DIDN'T SEND THIS TO MY BETA! Any grammatical errors can be blamed on me and my computer's crappy SpellCheck. The reason I didn't send this to Aus was because I wrote her a fic for her birthday but... the person I asked to beta never did.. so...SORRY!

And the in there was because that was one of my lines in the play. Tee Hee.

And..uh.. the indentations were in there 'cause it means it's later on in the fic. There's a new formatting and it kind of sucks. :(

REVIEW REPLIES!:

Vamperfly: I WILL WRITE ON! lol I shoud use that phrase from now on. :)

Nike25: Did ya miss it even more? Or.. did you stop reading?

The all mighty and powerfulM: Well, THAT'S what happened to Remus and sorry I didn't write ASAP. :

Leximus2000: I hope you still love me story! :)

Aus: SORRY SORRY SORRY! I am REALLY hoping that she'll send that back to me. But.. I don't have much faith in Kerry. But..uh.. HOPE YA LIKED THIS CRAPPY CHAPTER!

FadingShadow: Well, actually, technically, now I'm thirteen. My b-day was in January. And I know Remus was OOC. It kinda needed to happen though for the fic to work. AND THANXZ!

PeRkieGuRL: DON'T KICK MY BUTT! IT HAS TO HAPPEN!! GAAAAAAAH! Duuuude... I just realized that I was eleven when I first started writing fanfics.. and you were my biggest fan. o.0 Whoa... sorry... weird moment.

Musicizdbest: What did you think?

dolphingurl1: I POSTED MORE! Although it took me a while...

wuzup13579: I write cliffies 'cause it helps me get a good start on the next chapter. I didn't make one for this chapter though. Crap...

Unicorn13: I like being original. :P God, I'm such a dork. And it's OK. Not everyone knows what AU means. I just recently found out what OOC meant. LOL

onoM: I can't tell you how happy I was when I got your review(s) It made a struggling tweleve-year-old fanfic writer actually feel special for a moment. :) And I normally don't swear in my stories but.. well, it's kind of in my characters'...well.. character, I suppose. Sorry if it bothers you. And actually, I have no outline for any of my fics, whatsoever. But.. uh.. thanks. And I actually think that James is horribly OOC but, eh, whatever. I'll try to update every day, just like you asked. :dies just imagining it: Summer's here. d3su? What? AND THANKS!

Smiley Mary: Thanks! I'll try to update sooner.

Dee: I honestly don't think I'm all that talented (low self-esteem'll do that to people) but thanks! I'll try to share my "talent" more often! :)

potts: Thank you!

wizardduel2: -- THAT WASN'T FUNNY! I ACTUALLY BELIEVED YOU!!!!! But you're in the fic, so boo-ya, go you. Sorry if you hated your cameo but.. well, I was getting tired/lazy. :)

DayDreamer743: You can't really see where the plot is going yet but.. uh.. hopefully it'll come. :)

chris-black: I did, WHEEEEEEEEE!

miss-mags-ak: Thanks!

Leader of the Dorks: You really are a dork. ::shakes head sadly::

softballgrl89: WHEE!! GO SOFTBALL! I play softball! It's my first year though... BUT I PITCHED! YAY! God, I'm a loser. THANKS, and I DID!

Sherri: Whee, another of Austynne's friends. At least this time I wasn't made a fool out of. ::shakes fist at Sarah:: And.. uh.. sometimes I try to be funny. Although it doesn't always work. :) HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CRAPPY CHAPTER!

SpAzZiE: This was actually a much shorter chapter than my last ones.. ooops. :

Azera: Heh. I amuse myself sometimes with how odd my plots are. :) THANKS FOR REVIEWING!

Mountain's Dew: BUMP!!!! Do you perhaps flitter around harrypotter.com? I used to always say "bumperdoodles" in a rainbow. ::sigh:: those were the good old days when SWATW was still cool. THANKS!

fallen816angel: Hopefully you didn't loose it again! YOU ROCK FOR REVIEWING! WHOOPS TO YOU!

onoM (again): I updated today.. whee? Thanks again!

Artemis 00: Yay, thanks. I do try (except for this chapter, blah) Thanzx!

AND THANKS TO ALL WHO REVIEWED CHAPTER FOUR! SORRY I DIDN'T GET TO DO RESPONSES FOR YOU!

And remember kiddies, review. 'Cause I'll respond and make my chapters seems longer than they actually are. :)

> Melissa


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